Gilderoy Lockhart (Ninclow)
Gilderoy Lockhart (b. 26 January, 1964) is a famous wizarding celebrity who achieved bestseller status with a series of autobiographical books concerning his bravery and resilience in ridding various far-flung places of dangerous, dark creatures. At the height of his popularity, he was offered the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts by his old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, which he accepted. He only occupied it for about a year, however, until a backfiring Memory Charm saw him admitted to the long-term ward at the St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Two years later, he escaped the hospital and was sheltered by a fan by the name of Gladys Gudgeon, where he eventually became a friend of the family and slowly but surely honed his magical abilities to help protect them. Biography Early life True though it be that the accident with the backfiring spell forever erased much of his past, Gilderoy Lockhart did retain some memories, even if he never fully recovered. He could, for example, vaguely remember living in a quaint little cottage as a child, as well as the people he shared it with, if only faintly. In order to make up for the holes in his memories, he would, under the encouragements of the healers looking after him, Gilderoy would often supplement his fractured recollections with information from his published works. Thanks to said books, for example, he learned that he descended from a long line of wizard, being the grandson of former Minister for Magic Hector Fawley. It was also from that book that he discovered that the cottage he so vaguely recalled had been located on the outskirts of the village of Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, from where his mother would walk every day to work at the St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards. His autobiography says very little about his father, other than the fact that he was a Muggle and had turned their old wine cellar to a small private detective's office, making the process of hiding the truth of what she and Gilderoy was from neighboring Muggles much more difficult than it had to be. It also makes a mention of how he had two older sisters, bu that Gilderoy had been the only one of his parents’ three children to show magical ability. For these reasons, Gilderoy suspect his parents marriage were a strained one. School years (1964-1982) Like most magical children in Britain, Gilderoy Lockhart attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during his formative years, where by his own accounts, as chronicled in the aforementioned autobiography, he did rather well for himself: Sorted into Ravenclaw House upon his arrival at the school, he was reportedly held by most of his professors to have been a young man of above-average intelligence and ability, with some of them supposedly even commenting to him in confidence how they felt that he was "cleverer than most of his classmates". Indeed: By his own account, Gilderoy greatly enjoyed his time as a pupil at the school, and as befits a member of said house, took his assignments, classes, and school rules very seriously, and was soon achieving such good results in this schoolwork that he often received praise from most of his teachers. Apparently, he cultivated a number of interests throughout his youthful beginnings: In his personal copy of Year with the Yeti, it is said that Gilderoy's dream in his adult life was, above all, harmony between all magic and non-magic people, which convinced him that he took Muggle Studies in his third year. In the bottom of his old trunk, he found a crumbled up piece pf parchment that turned out to have been an old, half-finished letter from Gilderoy himself addressed to a classmate by the name of Davey Gudgeon, where he wished him a speedy recovery following an unlucky run-in with the Whomping WIllow and assured him that he was in the process of trying to create a Philosopher's Stone, and that even if he were to fail, many medical remedies had been discovered through alchemical experimentation, and promised that he would "more likely than not" be able to "fix you up straight away in the unlikely event that those at the Hospital Wing fell short". which makes him believe he studied alchemy near the end of his magical education. One of the photos that stood on his nightstand in his room at St. Mungo's also depicted him in a Quidditch uniform, prompting Gilderoy to conclude that he was indeed was a Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team back in the day. In an old journal, he also found mentions of his ambitions of becoming Britain’s youngest Minister for Magic, indicating that he at one point aspired to walk in his grandfather's footprints and had a healthy interest in wizarding politics. His magical education, however, was coloured by the fact that one of his peers foolishly tampered with the fabled Cursed Vaults and endangered the entire school in the by unleashing a number of curses: Among other things, cursed ice began to appear and spread throughout the castle, turning whole rooms into crystalline prisons, threatening to encase the whole school and severely injuring several students. A hoard of Boggarts was let loose on Hogwarts, terrorising the students with nightmarish transformation of their deepest, darkest fears all over the school. A Sleepwalking curse began to put students in a deep sleep: Whereas some began to mindlessly sleepwalk into the Forbidden Forest, where those whom the staff failed to stop were, due to their condition and inability to defend themselves, ravaged and devoured by the dangerous creatures within, others simply never woke up again. Others still found themselves trapped in portraits around the castle, slowly losing touch with the outside world. All of these, however, Gilderoy, who excelled in defensive magic, was successful in fending off. In chapter ten of said autobiography, Gilderoy found that his younger self further claimed that he did well in both his O.W.Ls and his N.E.W.T.s. Career as an author (1982-1992) Upon his graduation from Hogwarts, Gilderoy returned to the home of his parents to enjoy one last summer with his family before setting out for continental Europe, having boarded the long-distance train from Platform Seven and a Half at King's Cross Station in London with the intent of seeing the world before he decided what to do with his life. According to his own accounts of what would become only the first of Gilderoy's myriad travels across the globe, one of the first things he did was to visit the city of Paris, where he took in on Hotel De Ginestou in Place Cachee. Although he stayed no more than a week, Gilderoy have in the aforementioned memoirs chronicled how he had the privilege of bumping into no less a person than the world-famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel, with whom he reportedly proceeded to spend several hours in deep discussion at a bar called Griffon Buveur about the work of British alchemist and scholar Argo Pyrites. Come nightfall, when they were finally chased out by the landlord for overstaying their welcome, Gilderoy recounts that he and Mr. Flamel was accosted by an unusually aggressive Matagot, which he assumed had escaped its post at the French Ministry of Magic. When it showed hint of making ready to attack it, Gilderoy whipped out his wand and, knowing that trying to drive it away with a number of with a number of powerful curses would only make matters worse by increasing its numbers and having it turn even more hostile, he restrained it by conjuring ropes from the tip of his wand and levitating it to the underground headquarters of local authorities and left it in the capable hands of the Bureau de la Justice Magique. This encounter, Gilderoy discovered, had been penned down in an old journal, and his notes later found their way into Marauding with Monsters. According to contemporary accounts, Gilderoy would over the course of the next decade go on to chronicle his myriad of thrilling adventures and the highlights from a life dedicated to the eradication of the Dark Forces in a series of autobiographical books, and achieved bestseller status and a reputation as a world-class defender against the Dark Arts in the process. In recognition of his many feats of bravery, he received a Bravery Against Fantastic Beasts Award, was awarded the Order of Merlin, Third Class, and became an Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League to boot. It was, however, during an hiatus after his most recent adventure when no less a person than Albus Dumbledore arrived uninvited on Gilderoy’s doorstep. Delighted to see the Headmaster, Gilderoy immediately invited him in for a cup of tea and, when he was offered him the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in light of the recent passing of Professor Quirrell left a vacancy in the staff, Gilderoy was only too happy to accept.True though it might be that he never got the opportunity to provide his readers with detailed accounts of his short-lived teaching career, which, incidentally, includes himself in light of his memory loss, he has nevertheless been rather successful in his endeavour to puzzle together what happened thereafter. For example, thanks to an old edition of the Daily Prophet, he knows for a fact that he made a public appearance at Flourish and Blotts on 19 August, 1992, where he hosted a book signing in celebration of his autobiography's twenty-seventh week atop The Daily Prophet's Bestseller List. On this occasion, Gilderoy apparently met with none other than young Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, with a big, blinking black-and-white photo of the two news-makers side by side to prove it. Gilderoy reportedly also took the opportunity to announce his employment at Hogwarts. Career at Hogwarts (1992-1993) Now at his old school, Gilderoy - henceforth known as Professor Lockhart - was given Classroom 3C to teach in, as well as an office that was conveniently enough connected to it by a small stairway. True though it might be that Gilderoy has no memory of his brief tenure as an educator, If the supply lists are any indication from that year is any indication, he must have taught according to a comprehensive and fascinating curriculum aimed primarily at arming his charges against some of the foulest creatures known to wizardkind, supplemented by many exciting stories and real-life examples on how to fend them off, considering how more than half a dozen of his own books detailing his own personal experiences fighting the Dark Arts were used as a reference frame for their classes. Though he cannot for the life of him remember how the pupils reacted to his methods, he likes to think that he would have made every effort to make his lessons as engaging for the students as possible, just like he would have wanted to do if he was still teaching. During his first and only term as a teacher, however, several Muggle-born students were mysteriously petrified by a beast rumoured to have been released by the Heir of Slytherin from the mythical Chamber of Secrets. Although he has not genuine recollection about how he acted in light of these news, contemporary accounts found elsewhere informed him that Professor Dumbledore, along with the rest of the teaching staff, scoured the castle for the Chamber, to no avail. Even so, Gilderoy remains confident that he still did everything in his power to apprehend the perpetrator and to keep the students safe. This is also how he discovered that he founded a Duelling Club, where he presumably instructed the pupils on proper duelling techniques and strategies so that they might be better equipped to defend themselves in the event that they were attacked by the Heir of Slytherin as well. According to one of the healers charged with his care during his three-year long incapacitation, Gilderoy used to decorate both his classroom and his office with portraits of himself. Finding this a bit difficult to believe, since none of his books appeared to reflect anywhere near such an inflated ego in his behavior prior to his memory loss, Gilderoy has since rationalized that these particular pieces of art were brought in after the discovery that the Chamber had been re-opened, and that the reason he had so many portraits was so that the dozens of painted versions of himself could visit the frames of other portraits throughout all of Hogwarts and serve as his eyes and ears at the castle, serving as lookouts and keeping tabs on what was going on around the school for him, and reporting back any suspicious behavior or activity regarding the attacks. If those same healers are to be believed, Gilderoy even courageously ventured into the very heart of the fabled Chamber itself in pursuit of a couple of students who had found the entrance and recklessly rushed down to save a classmate of theirs who had been taken down into the Chamber by the monster, prompting Gilderoy to go after them. Though no one knows exactly what happened after they entered the concealed, subterranean vault deep underneath the school, but considering the fact that all of the students emerged unscathed, and that Professor Dumbledore sent an owl where he explained that Gilderoy's memory loss had been caused by a combination of a backfiring spell and a head injury sustained when a part of the tunnel leading to the Chamber caved in, one of the most prominent theories among the healers, and the one that Gilderoy himself subscribes to the most eagerly, was that Gilderoy had successfully saved the students, but that one of his spells accidentally caused the cave in during the confrontation with whatever horrors lurked within the Chamber, leading to his own incapacitation in the process. Following this, he spent one night at the school's Hospital Wing, before it was ultimately decided that he would be transferred to the long-term ward at the St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Later life (1993-2003) Although Gilderoy remembers very little of his initial admittance to Janus Thickey Ward, his personal files revealed that the early stages of his treatment were mainly centered around the consumption of various concoctions, such as memory enhancing- and wit-sharpening potions, and weekly visits from trained experts from the Mnemosyne Clinic for Memory Modification in Diagon Alley. Every now and again, Gilderoy would wander off on his own and get lost, meaning healers-in-training usually had to drop everything in order to find him at the behest of otherwise preoccupied supervisors. Three years after his initial hospitalization, however, media reported that Mr. Lockhart had escaped from the hospital in the dead of night in late December, 1995. Reportedly, he had finally received his first a visit since he arrived a fortnight prior to his escape in the form of four of his former students that he used to teach at Hogwarts. Surprised to hear he were once a teacher, he shall supposedly have taken a sudden interest in learning about his own past prior to his disappearance from the Janus Thickey Ward. Although the healers reported that they had been optimistic in light of the fact that Mr. Lockhart had shown signs of improvement just before he ran away, they nevertheless advised caution, as he was not fully recovered and could be a danger to himself and others, urging the public to alert the Ministry of Magic if they found him. still been getting a steady flow of fan mail, although he had no idea why. In 1995, three years later, he finally got his first a visit since he arrived, in the form of four of his former students from he used to teach at Hogwarts. It would take almost two years before Gilderoy Lockhart was seen or heard from again, when he suddenly and unexpectedly began to make a series of guest appearances on Potterwatch, a rebel radio programme broadcast during the Second Wizarding War for those who rebelled against Lord Voldemort and supported Harry Potter after the Ministry was infiltrated and taken over by the Dark Lord’s followers. On the broadcasts, he allowed the Order of the Phoenix capitalised on his popularity by agreeing to make a number of inspirational and rousing speeches under his actual name to boost morale, and later reappeared when he arrived alongside the reinforcements to fight the Dark Forces once again at the legendary Battle of Hogwarts. Enthralled by the hero he was supposed to have been, and painfully aware he could not continue to be a hero whilst locked up at a hospital, he proceeded to escape from it and sought refuge at the home some of his fans in the wields of Essex, whom he quickly befriended. In light of his memory loss, they resolved to help him re-educate himself, starting with the basics with a course in beginner's magic from Kwikspell, followed by acute study in their extensive library and practicing spells to measure up to the brave, heroic adventurer his books alleged him to be. Growing increasingly fond of his hosts, he was only too happy to help them shelter members of the resistance movement after the Ministry of Magic fell under control of the Dark Forces, and even helped to fight them by participating in the legendary Battle of Hogwarts. After the defeat of Voldemort, Gilderoy Lockhart was named Chairman of the Dark Arts Civil Protection Council, in which capacity he played an important role in overseeing the construction and distribution of Vanishing Cabinets to wizarding homes all across the country, which enabled more than a few would-be victims of the late Dark Lord’s supporters to escape with their lives during a series of violent attacks when former Death Eaters tried to commandeer their homes to use as hiding places. Around the same time, he was named godfather to Egmont, the newborn son of Hilliard and Violetta Hobday, two former fans, now friends, who had housed him and treated him like family, a responsibility he was honoured to accept and took very seriously. In order to secure a more steady source of income, Gilderoy, who to everyone's surprise proved himself to have a nose for business, invested in and subsequently became a minority shareholder of two highly popular wizarding travel agencies, Globus Mundi Travel Agents and TerrorTours, ensuring a fair amount of gold pouring into his vault every month, content to be one voice among many and seldom went of any of their trips himself, on account of his tutelage under the firm hands of several Ministry experts. Although he proceeded to undergo the training program for Hit Wizards of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, as well as those required to join the Werewolf Capture Unit, the Troll Patrol and the Ghoul Task Force, he never joined either group. Nor did he ever accept the offer of heading up the Office for the Removal of Curses, Jinxes, and Hexes after he successfully completed the training necessary to join their ranks. In his mind, all of it was aimed at preparing him to handle the same sort of dangers as his books claimed he used to be capable of opposing, and considered instead his training in said fields as a part of his re-education. In early August of 2001, he left England to embark on a journey of discovery to 'find himself', hoping visiting the exotic places named in his books would trigger memories. Personality and traits As dashing and debonair as ever with his dazzling white smile and colorful assortment of extravagant robes, and still speaking in a somewhat ostentatious and presumptuous manner, there is no denying that Gilderoy Lockhart have retained a rather distinctive vestige of the foppish conceit for which he was once so well known by the staff and students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Beguiling his thunderous joviality and tendency to refer to his own books when in doubt, however, he is no longer the same vain, publicity-hungry man he once used to be: True though it might be that his overall mannerisms and flashy attires ought to be immediately recognisable to anyone who met the man prior to his admission to St. Mungo’s Hospital, any novice in the field of memory modification can tell you that this is merely a lingering, residual aura of sorts - an echo of the man he once was. The backfiring Memory Charm that forever erased his past, however, also removed any trace of his once genuine desire for fame and glory, which have ultimately lead him to become a much nicer, humble and significantly happier person than he used to be, even if he do not particularly know it. While often naturally adopting an air of charisma and swaggering bravado, Gilderoy are not the most mature of individuals. For reasons that is ‘beyond him’ if asked to reflect upon it, he is particularly sensitive to criticism, usually trivial, such as ones about his looks or nit-picky comments about himself, and on the flip side, tends to become smugly flattered by any sort of praise, however minor. In addition, he also have a habit of turning childish, petty and utterly proud when things does not go his way. For example, if he is not first and best, he will often get annoyed and pretend to be unimpressed with those who have surpassed him in something for which he was convinced he had a particular aptitude, often deciding to improve on whatever this might be until such time that he actually becomes the first and best. He is similarly prone to be greatly dismayed with people for causing him to feel less unique by having the audacity to have a particular interest or ability in common with him, lest they are people of whom he are fond, in which case he are oftentimes more tolerant. No longer blinded by his own ego or actively pursuing his glory days as a celebrity, however, Gilderoy can actually display remarkable perspicacity and perception, with a newfound knack for guessing the thoughts of those around him that is in stark contrast to his glory days, when he seemed to be completely oblivious to the reactions he elicited from other people or otherwise just misinterpreted them completely. For all his flaws, however, his memory loss have ultimately served to make him the best possible version of himself, considering the circumstances: He have picked up the intellectual curiosity he once, unbeknownst to him, so foolishly abandoned in favour for dodges and shortcuts, and has now long become greatly motivated to learn for the sake of learning to make up for all the wealth of experience his books claimed he once had, and since lost, that he reportedly employed so effectively that he used to enjoy a rather illustrious reputation as a world-class defender against the Dark Arts. More importantly, however, he have become a fundamentally honorable, decent and kind-hearted man with a fully functional conscience. Gone are the days when he would wave away times of great trouble or loss with empty promises of saving the day if only given the chance, and instead he will offer support or comfort to the best of his ability to whoever is down in the dumps. Having likewise shouldered the non-existent expectations that he have to live up to the ideals represented within his books, Gilderoy is no longer the coward who will readily succumb to his immediate instincts of self-preservation when faced with true danger, but rather a man willing to grit his teeth, draw his wand and defy his own fears to do what is right to the best of his ability, his own well-being be damned. Magical abilities and skills A highly courageous and accomplished wizard, Gilderoy Lockhart talents were evident even while still a student of Hogwarts, as he was quickly recognised as the one of the most talented students of his year. Testaments to his considerable magical skills includes the fact that he employed both his aptitude for theoretical learning and natural ability so effectively that he managed to carve himself out a reputation as a world-class defender against the Dark Arts, having demonstrated both bravery and resilience in ridding various far-flung places of dangerous, dark creatures and his later participation in and surviving the Battle of Hogwarts.Category:Ninclow